FBI Crime Stats 2012: Forcible Rape in Eugene

The FBI released its “Crime in the United States” data for 2012. Eugene recorded 72 forcible rapes in 2012, down from 78 in 2011, and it’s interesting to compare Eugene’s reported crimes to other cities in Oregon. There were 40 rapes reported in Salem in 2012, up from 32 the previous year. Portland is cut off of the chart below for space, but 231 rapes were reported there in 2012, down from 258 in 2011. (Portland data is included in the chart.)

When comparing statistics on sexual assault, the numbers don’t really reflect reality — the Department of Justice’s “National Crime Victimization Survey: 2006-2010” stated that nationally, the majority of rapes (56 percent) go unreported to police. Eugene’s stats could mean that the city has an unusually high reporting rate thanks to the work of groups like Sexual Assault Support Services. It could also mean that the rate of rape is higher here. It could also mean that there is a low reporting rate and things are really, really bad. As a SASS staffer told EW over the phone: “It’s not like comparing apples to oranges. It’s like comparing apples to rocks.”